


Odin & Sons Bookstore

by vindiya



Series: Marvel Fluff Bingo 2018 [1]
Category: Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bookstore, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Banter, F/M, Fluff, Kissing, Loki is tall dark and sassy until the end, Loki just has to bait her, Loki teaches her a few things about physical pleasure, Odin has two sons, Thor will probably appear at some point, banter counts as fluff right?, banter leads to makeouts, every chapter is a square off my card, marvelfluffbingo, square filled: bookstore au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-10
Updated: 2018-07-10
Packaged: 2019-05-28 06:23:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15042707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vindiya/pseuds/vindiya
Summary: Odin & Sons Bookstore had been Darcy's haven for much of her life. A weekly stop to satisfy her need to devour knowledge and stories throughout her eighteen years of existence. Mr. Borson hasalwaysbeen patient with her despite his grumpy facade.The same can't be said for his son, Loki. He seems to have a thing for baiting her into arguments over books she read years ago, much to Darcy's embarrassment and annoyance. Too bad he's hot too, otherwise she'd just walk away instead of you know attacking his mouth with hers.





	Odin & Sons Bookstore

**Author's Note:**

> This fanfic fills the square: Bookstore AU on my Marvel Fluff Bingo card. It has been crossposted to my writing tumblr [Flashing Cursor](http://flashingcursor.tumblr.com/xyz).
> 
> A masterlist of all fics written as part of the challenge can be found [here](http://flashingcursor.tumblr.com/post/175076220386/my-marvel-fluff-bingo-card-has-arrived-im-so).
> 
> It's been years since I've written Darcy and Loki, so I figured it was fitting if I started off the challenge by returning to a pairing I used to write almost exclusively when I wrote in the MCU. Please enjoy the fic. And let me know what you think.
> 
> Happy reading.

Darcy remembers coming to the bookstore since she was a little kid. It was one of those places her mom took her to satisfy her voracious appetite for the printed word. Old with shelves everywhere and dark wainscoting and cream-colored walls. The lights were always a warm yellow, even after the introduction and rise in popularity of the halogen and led light. Plush chairs littered the main floor with huge area rugs in deep blues, red, and gold. As a child the bookstore was owned by an elderly gentleman with white hair and only one eye. He always looked grumpy but for some reason when it came to Darcy he always had a warm smile and a candy for her on the way out.

As she got older that smile remained, but his hair grew whiter, more limp, and his face gaunt even though his mind was sharp as ever. It wasn’t until she was in high school she noticed the extra help around the shop in the form of a tall young man with black hair and bright green eyes that always held a hint of mischief to them even as he helped customers find what they were looking for and shelved endless books on numerous subjects and in multiple languages. He was in his twenties by the looks of him and Darcy thought he was the hottest thing since sliced bread. All hard angles and snark. The snark was an accidental discovery as he preferred to ignore her when he started working at the bookstore. And she made it her mission to make him help her find things as often as possible.

Christmas break was well under way when she walks into the bookstore three days before the new year. Shrugging off her coat Darcy hung it on the coat rack by the door and started browsing. Technically, she didn’t need anything. She had a healthy selection on her To Read shelf at home and on GoodReads. But there were always gems to be found in Odin & Sons.

Fingers trail over one dark shelf in the science fiction section and then another. She isn’t looking at titles. Science fiction wasn’t holding its usual appeal to her lately. She needed something new as she wound her way to the literary fiction. Fingers still trailing sometimes glancing at titles, but nothing is sticking, and she can feel a frown is starting to form.

“Can I help you?” his smooth voice greets her ears as she rounds another shelf on the edge of literary fiction and just the standard fiction. She can’t help it her eyes practically devour him all tall and lean with a dark green button-down shirt that looks like silk or satin or something terribly soft in the warm lighting of the store. His hair is slicked back curling upwards slightly at the base of his neck and one fine eyebrow is raised in question at her.

It’s moment like these when she swears his eyes are sparking with mischief that he knows exactly the effect he has on her teenage brain. His mouth curved into the taunting smirk she’s come to know as the beginning of one of their little back and forth byplays. Her heart is already pounding in anticipation. She loved the way his snark challenged the conventions she’d taken to be as fact. Loved the challenge of getting him to admit defeat; it didn’t happen often but when she did there was a sense of pleasure because getting Tall, dark, and snarky to back down wasn’t easy.

“Yeah, it’s Christmas break and I need something to read,” she says it sweetly despite the vagueness of her answer.

“Might I suggest _Common Sense_ by Thomas Paine?” His words are dripping sarcasm, and she rolls her eyes.

“Literary fiction is really doing it for me today.” She says with a shrug. It was an honest answer and nothing to do with their usual game.

It seems though that he doesn’t realize that and sighs as he slides another couple books carefully onto the shelf. Sometimes she misses Mr. Borson when his help gets like this. Tired and like she’s interrupting his quiet afternoon in an otherwise empty bookstore. Darcy always found it odd that she appears to be the only customer to frequent the store. Either Mr. Borson was independently wealthy, and the bookstore was a hobby, or they did some awesome business online these days.

Closing the box Loki looks Darcy over. Why his father was so intent on him being well-behaved to this one customer he would never know, but he was a good son and he’d do as Father asked when he finally handed over most of the business to Loki once he finished his master’s in business. And despite her ridiculous behavior and inane requests she was still easily one of the better customers to come in regularly. At least when she came in it was interesting.

“Hm, well I imagine since you’re on this side of the store you’ve already bypassed the science fiction in favor of something different,” he guesses as he leans down to pick up the box, fully aware that Darcy is looking. She was nothing if not obvious about her little crush on him. A crush that always made him wish she were a little older, so he wouldn’t feel so guilty in his silent appreciation of her body in return. She was beautiful with curves in all the right places and Loki remembers very nearly having the wind knocked out of him the first time he caught sight of her. And the knowing look on his father’s face when he asked about her four years earlier when he started helping in the summer months.

He watches her nod her head as he straightens and without a word he turns toward the counter at the front of the store. He was resigned to not getting any more work done until she leaves satisfied and depending on the day that can be either simple or difficult to achieve, based on her answers to his questions so far it was going to be closer to difficult. Depositing the box on the counter Loki leans a hip on it and crosses his arms over his chest studying her. She’d cut her hair he realizes, a short playful style that stops at her chin with bangs over her brows. And she’d straightened the lengths from it’s normal frizz a pity, he can imagine the riot her hair is when she doesn’t and vastly prefers it to the pin straight fall it is today.

Her blue eyes are on his and he wonders if she knows that sometimes he gets lost in her eyes when she looks at him like that all loose and open. And then irritation settles in the bridge of her nose and across her brow and he mouth splits into a grin.

“What is there something on my face?” she asks with a touch of a snap that warns him to stop staring for now. Later when she leaves he could look his feel at her lovely backside.

“Just your glasses but they’re always there.” He says smoothly with half a shrug sliding around the counter and pulling up the inventory sheet in the computer. He doesn’t technically need it, but it gives him something to focus on.

“Ha-ha very funny snarky pants. I thought you were supposed to help me.”

“I did. I suggested _Common Sense_.”  Snarky pants, how interesting that she had nicknames for him. It’s the first time in their liaison that she’s ever used one to his face. He knew very well that to her friends he was Tall, Dark and Snarky. It stroked his ego to know she had several names she used in place of his own. He’d been thinking of properly introducing himself now too, but he’d much rather see how many different names she came up with. It was more fun.

“And I told you I wasn’t feeling literary fiction. Something with a thrill factor.” She tosses out in exasperation and he thinks he may have misjudged to the difficulty factor of today’s visit.

“Why didn’t you say so in the first place,” he questions with a touch of mockery slipping into his tone. “Come this way and we’ll see if I can’t find you a suitable title to appease that ever-turning mind of yours.”

He moves around the counter again and leads her into the back-left corner where the thrillers were shelved in alphabetical order by author. He pauses at one bookcase and easily half pulls seven books for her consideration.

“If you need anything else I’ll be up front,” Loki states to her aware that her attention was already on the options presented to her. Nose deep in the back cover of the first book he’d pulled.

“Yeah okay dude,” she mutters pulling the next title out and perusing the synopsis on the back of that one as he starts to walk away.

Much easier than he originally thought it would be at first. And he wasn’t remotely surprised to see her come up with three books in her arms fifteen minutes later to purchase. If he noticed that all three featured tall, dark, and snarky male leads to curvaceous and quick mouthed female leads he didn’t comment. Let her have her fodder, he had his own.

Darcy’s weekly visits dropped off significantly as midterms approached. She had so much to study for and while the bookstore would be less crowded, Darcy knew she would get virtually nothing done if she asked his royal highness of snark if she could study there. There was something in the way they seemed to be circling each other after the exchange over Christmas break that had her skin breaking out in goosebumps.

No, she couldn’t think about that. Much as she wanted to Darcy had a biology exam she needed to focus on studying for if she was going to have any chance of passing it. There was little hope of her acing the exam but getting a passing score she could probably manage if she could just buckle down. She had a deal with her mother that if she at least passed all her midterms there was a new used car in Darcy’s future and that would be awesome instead of depending on her bicycle or her friends to get places.

Exams came and went and then so did February. Who knew senior year would pick up so drastically in work load after midterms. It was nearly March when she sauntered into Odin & Sons again and was immediately hit by the scent of some sort of spicy scent in the air. Not like Mexican food spicy, it definitely wasn’t a scent of something edible but it was there and she sniffed the air a few times.

“Patchouli,” his voice whispered all too close and she didn’t care as her eyes fluttered closed on a deep inhale both from the desire for more of the scent and his proximity. She swears she can feel his breath on her hair, the heat of him through her jacket.

“You make a habit of being exactly where I am when I’m in need of answers around here?” She asks her eyes opening and makes an obvious effort to get the zipper of her jacket down.

“No, you just find me whether I want you to or not.” He answers taking her coat from her and hanging it on the coat rack.

Loki would be lying if he said he hadn’t missed her visits the last couple months. Her hair had grown out to her shoulders the waves tamed only by a beanie cap she had on her head. She had another t-shirt on with a cat’s face stretched across her breasts and jeans. Standard Darcy Lewis was in and she never looked more delicious.

“You must have been loving the silence the last couple months then,” she shoots back eyeing him oddly as he hangs her coat. That was new, but then so was him greeting her at the door. Shrugging around the thought she ignores the action, maybe it was something did for all customers he met at the door.

“It was nice at first.”

“Oh boy did you miss me Mischief man?” The pure pleasure in her voice sends a shiver down his spine. Turning back to her slowly he is careful to keep his features neutral.

“If I did, admitting it would seem rather odd given our relationship would it not?” He questions voice equally flat.

Her eyebrow quirks in question, “Dude I was joking.”

“Good, because I was never more productive than I have been the last couple months. You are single-handedly my most needy customer.”

He turns then and walks into the bookstore. He had caught up on rotating the stock while she was absent. New titles were on display at the center tables, stacked elegantly and ready for someone with a discerning eye to select and buy them. Best sellers all of them waiting for the hype of their authors and their spot on the New York Times Best Seller list to walk them out the door.

“Way to be rude…” he hears her mutter as he weaves into a far corner away from her. Let her browse and select what she needed.

The sound of her feet hot on his heels though speaks to how unlikely that was to be. Miss Lewis he wasn’t in the mood for their usual repartee today. Could she give him five minutes to get things sorted out in his head before plowing head first into long over due banter? He needed those five minutes desperately after her sudden appearance at the door.

“So Mr. Snarky pants what are you going to give me for my birthday?” She questions when she finally corners him in the history section.

His eyes widening a fraction at her and then blinking it away. Of course. Her birthday. It was coming up quickly, there was a list of birthdays for the frequent customers. Store policy to track and give something to encourage their continued patronage.

“A gift certificate.” He says smoothly the talk of business easing Loki some.

She rolls her eyes and he can feel his lips quirk into a smile at her reaction.

“Not from the bookstore, from you?” Her eyes are wide with implied meaning and Loki actively ignores it.

“I’m afraid I don’t follow,” he says.

“Come on. We’ve been dancing around this weird push pull attraction thing for months, the least you could do is give me a birthday present when I turn eighteen.” She says twirling her index finger through the air.

Loki swears the little minx before cast a spell in that moment to stir the air and bring the scent of the patchouli incense he had burning full and fragrant to his nose. But that wasn’t possible logically speaking and he knew it. Instead he focuses on keeping his face even as he tilts his head at her.

“My dear girl,” he starts doing his best to sound like his father, “I don’t know what you mean. You’re just one of my more complicated customers to help when you stop in.” He says wishing that the bell at the desk would ring at that moment and save him. He doesn’t want to have this conversation. Leaving would be wise but there’s anger in her eyes turning the blue stormy and he can picture her hair whipping in a fierce wind like an angered sea witch.

“I’m not blind dude, you practically undressed me when you took my coat.” She shoots back stepping closer and he swallows. He can’t back up there’s nowhere to go with the bookcase behind him, so he steps to the side.

“I’m sorry but I believe you’re imagining things there was no undressing done when I took your coat from you.” His words sound defensive even to his ears, but there’s nothing that can bee done about that now. It’s just how it’s going to have to be in the end.

As if the gods were taking pity on Loki, the bell at the front counter sings one high clear note that fills every corner of the store. He fixes a pointed look at Darcy and dips his head.

“If you’ll excuse me, I have customers to attend to. Please let me know if there’s anything I can help you find.” He says gentling his words as he turns away to make his way to the front.

Darcy watches him leave, slumping back against the shelves when he’s out of sight. She wouldn’t say she’s fuming exactly, but she’s annoyed. They’ve been flirting for months. Ever since Christmas when her personal game took a turn toward something else. Everything about Mr. Borson’s replacement screamed flirt with me, had since he first appeared and did his abject best to ignore her presence in the store.

“Jerk,” she mutters aware that there was no one to hear her say it. At least that’s what she thought when she hears a laugh.

“Oh my are we having a little trouble with him?” A soft feminine voices asks as an older woman with elegant features and blond hair coiled on her head comes around the corner of a shelf.

Darcy blinks at the woman. Where had she come from?

“I’m sorry what?”

What is even going on? Who was this woman and why was she eavesdropping on her conversation with Tall, Dark, and Snarky? In answer to the question the woman tilts her head her mouth pressing into a frown that marred her elegant features and settled in her blue eyes.

“I’m sorry for him. He’s always been a little prickly. Especially with forward young women that know what they want.” She says.

“Okay…” No seriously what the fuck? “Who are you?”

“Oh where are my manners. Frigga, I’m your charming friends mother.” She explains proffering a hand that Darcy takes and gives a quick shake. Her mind already reeling at the revelation that her dream boat of a crush came from a woman so pretty.

“Darcy Lewis.” And she watches as Frigga’s eyebrows climb impossibly higher on her forehead.  And then she looks a little too similar to the Cheshire Cat for her liking and she takes a careful step back.

“Ah. It’s very nice to meet you Miss Lewis. I hope you’re finding everything you need.” Frigga’s eyes are positively dancing as she speaks, dancing with delight as she speaks with the girl.

“When he’s being cooperative,” she mutters waving in the direction Loki had taken off in.

Again Frigga laughs at how Darcy refers to her son. What was with this woman?

“It can be a delicate matter, getting him to cooperate. Perhaps you should give him some time. It isn’t every day a man comes face to face with one as beautiful as you my dear.”

“Right, I uh, I should be going. I just came by to talk to him, I have way too many books going at once right now.” Darcy says lamely taking another step away from the woman in her perfectly tailored suit and matching shoes. No wonder he denied it, his mother was an absolute goddess compared to her.

“Of course my dear but first take this will you, consider it an early birthday present from me.” Frigga nods in agreement before producing a book from the small basket at her side.

Darcy’s eyes the cover before tentatively accepting the book.

“Isn’t this like theft?”

“Not at all I’ll take care of paying for it after you leave. Just enjoy the tale within it’s pages.” With that said Frigga departs much like her son on quiet feet that move with a sureness that Darcy wishes she could emulate when she moved. Two gorgeous human beings in one day, help her she might be dying. Turning the book over she reads the back.

_A tale of love and wanting. One can’t accept his loves affections due to duty, and the other will give anything to make him see that his duty and accepting her take him down the same path._

Well what did she have to lose by giving it a try. By romance standards it was kind of within the standard, if a little obvious in set up. What was a good romance without some good old fashioned mutual pining? Tucking the book under her arm Darcy makes her way to the coat rack.

She doesn’t look for him exactly, not openly but there’s a hope that maybe she’ll catch a glimpse of his lithe form before she heads home. No such luck, if she had to guess he was hiding in the backroom pretending to take inventory while he waits her out. Next time she’d turn it into a battle of wits, tonight she was going to accept the lumps she’d already taken without inviting more and leave.

Donning her coat Darcy slips out the door, the little brass bell over it chiming her departure for all to hear.


End file.
